Composers spend much of their lives struggling, arguing, or fighting with their musical influences. In the spirit of “If you can’t beat them, join them”, I like to take music that I love, saw off a few chunks, and put them back together in my own fashion. In Sticky, the listener will hear snatches of Stravinsky and Mussorgsky, as well as a few outbursts from the other side of the tracks. I turn them around and upside down, throw them at the wall, and see what sticks. The marimbist must juggle these different strands of music, often at the same time, or with sudden gear shifts between them. This is no easy task, and the piece often leads the player into sticky situations. But the overall spirit of the piece is simple, playful, and free of hidden Satanic messages.

Sticky was commissioned by Nancy Zeltsman and was written with the assistance of a Toronto Arts Council grant to the composer. It was premiered by Beverley Johnston at the Zeltsman Music Festival at Appleton, Wisconsin on June 30, 2009.